Europe’s EV sales rose 29.4% in the first quarter of 2026

Europe’s EV market jumped in the first quarter of 2026 as soaring fuel costs pushed drivers away from combustion cars.

New battery-electric vehicle registrations across 15 European markets rose 29.4% to almost 560,000, E-Mobility Europe and New Automotive said Monday. March alone delivered more than 240,000 registrations, up 51.3% year on year.

Those 15 markets made up 94% of all battery-electric sales last year across the European Union and the European Free Trade Association, where countries follow EU carbon emissions rules, according to ACEA data.

The two groups said the quarter’s registrations were enough to cut oil use by 2 million barrels a year. Chris Heron, secretary general of E-Mobility Europe, said, “March’s surge in electric car sales is one of Europe’s biggest recent gains in energy security, in a month when oil dependence has become a real vulnerability.”

The same statement said Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Poland all posted more than 40% growth in battery-electric sales so far this year, while 21.2% of all new cars registered across the EU and EFTA in March were electric.

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A separate New Automotive report added detail from Britain, Europe’s second-largest battery-electric market after Germany. It said British battery-electric registrations rose 12.8% in the quarter and made up 22.5% of all new car sales. Rising petrol prices were named there.

The IEA said global electricity demand grew 3% in 2025, slower than 4.4% in 2024, but still above the 2.8% average from 2014 to 2024. It also grew at more than twice the pace of total global energy demand, which was 1.3% in 2025.

IEA said:

“In 2025, emerging market and developing economies accounted for 80% of global electricity demand growth. China’s share of the increase in global demand was 58%, higher than in 2024, when it stood at 52%, but lower than the 62% average observed over the previous decade. China’s net electricity demand surpassed 9 500 TWh in 2025, up by 5.1%, but slower than the growth of 6.6% in 2023 and 7.0% in 2024.”

IEA says electric transport, buildings, and data centers are jacking up global power demand

Meanwhile, China’s industrial electricity demand slowed to 3.7% from 6.0% in 2023 and 5.1% in 2024 because of trade barriers, weaker domestic consumption, and economic strain.

In India, after four straight years of growth above 6%, electricity demand rose only 1.4% in 2025. The first four months had pointed to 5.8% growth, but an early monsoon brought cooler weather and heavier rain, cutting demand for air conditioning and water pumping.

India’s cooling degree days were about 10% lower than in 2024, while Southeast Asia saw demand rise about 3% in 2025, down from 8.6% in 2024 and below the 2010s decade’s 6% average, though the IEA expects growth there and in India to pick up again.

The Middle East recorded nearly 4% growth in 2025, slightly above 2024’s, and the United States posted 2% growth, which is below 2.8% in 2024 but more than triple its decade average, with buildings making up 80% of that rise, and data centers alone drove around half of the increase.

IEA said:

“A cold winter, with a nearly 10% increase in heating degree days, also supported power demand in 2025 by boosting space heating needs.”

In the EU, electricity demand rose 1% after 1.6% growth in 2024. Advanced economies made up 20% of global electricity demand growth in 2025, up from 17% in 2024 and above the roughly 5% average of the previous decade.

Globally, buildings made up nearly 45% of the annual increase, transport contributed over 10%, and data center use climbed about 17%, or roughly 70 TWh, out of a total global rise of around 800 TWh.

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